Peter Salem

Peter Salem was an African American from Massachusetts who served as a soldier in the American Revolutionary War. Born into slavery in Framingham, Massachusetts, he was freed by a later master, Major Lawson Buckminster, to serve in the local militia. He then enlisted in the Continental Army, serving for nearly five years during the war. Afterwards, he married and worked as a cane weaver. A monument was erected to him in the late 19th century at his grave in Framingham.

Peter Salem was born about 1750 to a slave mother in Framingham, Massachusetts. His master was Jeremiah Belknap, who later sold him to Lawson Buckminster, who used him in a variety of ways. When Buckminster became a major in the Continental Army, he gave Salem his freedom in 1775 so he could enlist in the patriot militia in what soon became the American Revolution.

Source: Wikipedia